BoxRec

I'll fight Hoppa and Les on same night
By David Lewis

March 12, 2007 12:00
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WORLD champion Lovemore Ndou has challenged "Godzilla lookalikes" Les Mason and John Hopoate to exhibition fights ¿ on the same night.

Responding to jibes from the pair that he is "bitter on the world" and a 'nobody" for claiming they are turning boxing into a burlesque sideshow, the IBF junior welterweight king pulled no punches.

"I will fight them both on the same bill, any time any place. That's fine with me let's do it," goaded Nduo, who at 63kg is exactly half the weight of the NRL star Willie Mason's older brother and 45kg less than former Manly Sea Eagles bad boy Hopoate. "They are big dumb Godzilla lookalikes and they wouldn't lay a glove on me – it would be over in one round. I'd show them the difference between brawling and boxing.

"The only way they could hurt me is they tackled me and ran me over the tryline like a ball.

"The are both idiots – even dumber than they look. I have dined with lions, wrestled cheetahs and walked with elephants, so how can they lay a hand on me."

Ndou also had a special message for Hopoate, whose infamous digit in the rearend antics earned him a nine-week NRL ban before he switched sports and amassed a 6-0 record. "He wants to fight me but he has to remember that in the boxing ring we use gloves, so if he is thinking of sticking his fingers where the sun don't shine, he needs to think again.

"He's ugly enough already but, if he wants, I can mess him out so bad he'll even scare his own children."

Hoppa and Mason blasted Ndou after the four-time South African amateur champion turned Aussie warrior claimed they were degrading his sport following crude wins over dubious opposition on the undercard of last week's Anthony Mundine-Sam Soliman showpiece.

Mason's professional debut – a 119-second knockout of 99kg Plato- reading philosophy student John Justice – left Ndou in despair. "Mason might have won a few street fights in Newcastle where he says he's a hardman but that doesn't mean anything in the ring," said the 35-year-old. "He's trying to live off the name of his brother.

"He has more chins than a Chinese phone book and needs a course of liposuction. I haven't see a more out out shape body in a while.

"He and Hopoate are being used by promoters and managers who just want to make money off their backs and couldn't care less if they get hurt.

"I respect Les Mason for getting off the streets and taking up a great sport – but he's been fast-tracked by people who don't seem to have his best interests at heart.

"I've been the victim of greedy handlers myself and I don't like to see it happen to anybody." In a conciliatory gesture, Ndou offered to put his relentless schedule on hold and school the duo in the boxing basics.

"Boxing took me out of the slums of South Africa and I have too much respect for it to be made a mockery of," he added.

"I'd be prepared to help them in my own time and at no expense to anybody – they can come down to the gym and we can work together to stop boxing becoming a joke.

"Mason says you have to start somewhere but he forgets I had 64 amateur fights in South Africa (for 58 KOs) before I turned pro. He and Hopoate need to get into the gym and learn from scratch

oliverfennell wrote:I always wondered how a world class lighter-weight boxer would fare against an average or below heavyweight.

Still, this is just obvious headline-grabbing stuff from Ndou because there is absolutely no chance such an event will ever happen.